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(No Model.)

' G. M. BRILL & JQR'AWLE.

SIGN AND ADVERTISING BOARD FOR STREET CARS. No. 353,284. Patented Nov. 30,1886.

W] T NESSES A TTORNE Y UNITED STATES GEORGE M. BRILL AND JAMES RAVVLE,OF PHILADELPHIA,

PATENT OFFICE.

SIGN AN D ADVERTISING BOAR D FOR STREET-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 353,284, dated November 30, 1886.

Application filed March ll. 1856.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE M. BRILL and JAMES RAWLE, citizens of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sign or Advertising Boards for Street- Cars, of which the following is aspecification,

reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is an elevation of the upper onroof portion of a street-railway or other car, show ing a reversible sign or advertising board enibodying our improvements. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one end of same, looking in the direction of arrow as, Fig. 1, and showing bracket having circular opening or hearing for the round pin or journal at that end of the sign-board. Fig. 3 is aside or end view, drawn to an enlarged scale, of bracket for opposite end of the sign-board, showing angular or square opening, with vertical recess at one corner or angle of the square opening and elongated pin or journal for the sign, which locks or holds the sign in its adjusted position and admits of reversing it. Figs. 4 and 5 are similar views of the upper part of said bracket, illustrating, by different positions of the elongated pin or journal, the manner of moving it in the angular opening of the bracket to effeet a reversal of the sign; and Fig. 6 is an end view of a portion of the roof of the car, showing a bifurcated form of base-plate for the sign-board brackets or supports, to provide an overshoot sign, or one the brackets of which are fastened to the edge of the roof of a car.

Our invention has relation to reversible sign or advertising boards for street or other cars, particularly to those placed upon' the roof of the cars, either at the sides or ends, or at both the sides and ends of the same. These reversible signs as heretofore constructed are mainly locked or held in position-by a pawl and ratchet or equivalent, or other mechanism, which necessitates climbing orgaining access to the roof of the car to manipulate this locking mechanism before the sign can be reversed, and as this mechanism is exposed to the weather it often happens that the same is often difficult or troublesome to release or manipulate preparatory to reversing the sign.

Serial No. 194,756. (No model.)

Our invention has for its object to avoid these objections by so constructing one of the end pins or journals of the sign and the bearing in the bracket or support therefor that said pin or journal and bearingcoact, without the aid of any other mechanism, to firmly hold or lock the sign in its adjusted position and admit of it being easily and quickly reversed at any time without climbing or gaining access to the roof of the car.

Our invention accordingly consists of the combination, construction, and arrangement of parts as hereinafter described and claimed, having reference particularly to a reversible sign or advertising board having at one end a rectangular or elongated shaped pin or journal which is adapted to a square or angular opening or bearing in a bracket or support, which opening or hearing is larger than the said journal, and has at one of its corners or angles, preferably the lower one, a vertical recess of a width and shape corresponding to that part of said pin or journal which enters the same, so that the journal or a part of it snugly fits the recess to firmly hold or lock the sign in position, and is adapted to be raised out of the recess into and moved or turned through the bracket-opening to admit of reversing the sign.

In the drawings, A- represents the roof of a street-railway or other car, B the reversible sign or advertising board, 0 and G its end journals or pins, and D and D the respective supports or brackets therefor.

The boards or signs B may be of any suitable configuration and placed either upon the sides or ends, or both upon the sides and ends, of the roof of the car; or they may be otherwise located, as desired. Theend journals, 0 C, of a sign may be secured to itin anysuitable manner; but we prefer to cast or form them with slotted brackets or sleeves 0, for embracing the ends of the sign or board, and screw or otherwise fasten them thereto for strengthening purposes, and for preventing the ends of board or sign from warping.

The journal or pin 0 is preferably round, as shown more plainlyin Fig. 2, and enters a correspondingly but preferably slightly larger opening, (1, in bracket D, so as to looselyfit or have playin the same. The remaining portion of bracket D may be of any suitable design, or is preferably fashioned to correspond V a square or angular opening, d, in bracket D,

at the lower vertical corner or angle of which is a recess, (1, of a width and shape corresponding to the ends .0 of journal C, so that either of said ends 0 snugly fits into recess (i to lock or hold the sign B in its adjusted position,so that it cannot-jar or work loose during travel of the car.

To reverse the sign B, the end at which the journal 0 is located is first elevated, to raise that end 0* of journal 0 which is then in recess (1 out of it, the playof the round journal 0 in the opening (I of bracket D admitting of such described elevation of said end of the sign. The latter is then rotated or turned on its journals, and as this is done its elongated or angular journal 0 follows, and one or the other of its sides successively moves into contact with the sides of the angular opening (1 of bracket D, as shown by dotted lines, and the direction of motion of which is indicated by the arrows 1, 2, and 3 of Figs. 4 and 5, to support the eievated end of the sign as it is reversed, and until the remaining end 0 ofjonrnal O enters recess d to lock or hold the sign in its reversed or adjusted position. The angular bracket-opening d and lug orjournal O of sign B coact, therefore, to not only support one end of the sign, but look the sign in its adjusted position without the aid of other mechanism, and also admit of its being reversed, which is easily and quickly done by simply reaching up to the board, raising one end thereof, and turning it over, and as the opening at is closed at its top, as shown, the journal 0 cannot be lifted or pushed out of said opening when it and the sign are elevated preparatory to reversing.

The brackets are provided with any suitable base-plate, (2 arranged to conform with the inclination of the roof of the car, so as to place the brackets in a vertical position, as illustrated, and they have openings (1 for the passage of fastening-screws (P,- or said base-plates may be bifurcated, as shownin Fig. 6, to embrace the edge of the roof and provide overshoot signs; or the base-plates may be shaped and arranged in respect to the brackets as desired or deemed necessary to suit the location of the signsupon a car.

WVhile we have shown and described our improvement-s as especially applicable to a car, we do not confine the same thereto, as it is evident they may be applied to any vehicle or fixture, whether movable or stationary. So, too, it is evident that the shape of journal 0 and its bearing or opening (1' in bracket D may be variously configured without departing from the spirit of our improvements, and hence we do not wish to be understood as limiting the same to the form shown.

\Vhat we claim is 1. Thesign or board B, having roundjournal at one end and an angularjournal at the other,in combination with brackets or supports for said journals, one of which supports has an angular openingfor the receptionoftheangularjournal, and coacts with it to form a lock for holding the sign in its adjusted position, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of sign-board B, having at oneend a journal and support and at the other a reversely-tapered elongated journal, 0, and bracket D, having angular opening (1, in one of the angles of which is a recess, (1", substantially as and 'for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

eno. M. BRILL. JAMES RAwLn.

\Vitnesses: HENRY O. ESLING, CHAS. BINGI-IAM PENROSE. 

